System digestive in reptiles

+FOLLOW
COMMENTS

1. System Digestive in Reptiles.


The gastrointestinal tract in reptiles, like other
animals, starts at the mouth. Turtle and tortoise species
have a beak, compared to snakes and lizards that have
teeth. Apprehension and mastication of food is variable
among species since forelimbs are rigid or non-existent in
some reptile species. The tongue in certain lizards can be
quite muscular and used for food apprehension.
Mastication is minimal, with large chunks of food being
swallowed after aggressive shaking or tearing.

Snakes, on the other hand, swallow their prey whole. To
safely swallow such large portions, reptiles have specially

2. evolved oral secretory glands that function to lubricate
the food moving down the esophagus. Some snake
species have even more evolved secretory glands that
inject venom into their prey to immobilize them before
swallowing. This is crucial to prevent internal trauma
from prey that can cause damage while passing down the
esophagus.

Reptiles have a fairly kinetic jaw that can open wide for
food consumption. Snakes, however, have a particularly
kinetic jaw that allows it to essentially walk along the
prey when being swallowed.
The esophagus in most reptiles can act as a storage unit
for large prey until it is able to pass completely into the
stomach. The stomach, as in mammals, contains
hydrochloric acid, which not only aids in the breakdown
of the food, but also kills live prey. Hydrochloric acid can
also help decalcify bony material.

3. Herbivore species have an exceptionally large cecum and
have a shorter GI tract compared to carnivorous species.
They also have a longer digestion rate as they utilize
hindgut fermentation to breakdown the cellulose into
usable fatty acids after more digestible proteins are
absorbed in the stomach and small GI tract. Digestion of
plant material can take 50-60% longer in reptiles as
compared to mammals for a few reasons. The GI activity
will essentially stop during cool nights and nearly all the
moisture content, as well as every possible nutrient, is
extracted before elimination.